The Supreme Court will hold today the hearing on the appeals filed against the High Court verdict that upheld a central bank order sacking Prof Muhammad Yunus from the post of Grameen Bank managing director.

Police and armed men in civilian clothes opened fire on demonstrators in the Yemeni cities of Taiz and Hudaida yesterday as a drive to oust veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh gathered pace, witnesses said.

As the number of Libya-fled Bangladeshi increased at Ras Jdir border point of Tunisia, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to operate three more flights to bring back 900 people now waiting for repatriation.

Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam claimed the main opposition BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami sponsored yesterday's hartal and Fazlul Haque Aminee was used strategically to declare it.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered his government to investigate deadly Quran-burning protests that killed up to two dozen people, including seven foreign UN staff, his spokesman said yesterday.

Fazlul Haque Aminee, chief of the Islamic Law Implementation Committee, yesterday came up with two-month long agitation programmes including organising a grand rally in the capital to protest the 'anti-Quran women development policy'.

At least 10 people were killed and more than 150 injured as tornado lashed scores of villages in Jamalpur, Thakurgaon, Sherpur, Mymensingh, Gaibandha, Joupurhat and Bogra districts yesterday late afternoon and evening.

Editorial

The High Court verdict, that the transfer of land and construction of the15-storey BGMEA building on the Begunbari-Hatirjheel canal is an act of illegality, serves as an indictment of an organisation that is supposed to set examples in propriety The whole process of transfer of government land to a private body and the construction of a high-rise building thereon has been obtained by a process that is clearly reflective of lack of probity. It has, unfortunately, reconfirmed the criticism of our disregard for the rule of law where plutocracy rules the roost.

In our country, student parties are heir to a rich heritage they could justly be proud of. They have been at the vanguard of people's movements for establishing their rights to language, economic emancipation and political freedom. Against that glorious background, the student parties should organise and try to conduct themselves in ways that helps democracy and not harms it. That which meets the high expectations the people have of them as the most conscious segment of society.

The ICC has confirmed that the next two World Cups will be 10-team events. The 2015 edition of the premier 50-over tournament will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, and the 2019 World Cup will be played in England. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief-executive, hinted that the 1992 format could be brought back, wherein all teams play each other in a round-robin league, and the top four make it to the semifinals.

If the 2007 World Cup was downright tragic, the 2011 showpiece was the best that this generation has seen. Apart from the drama provided by England, Ireland and Bangladesh as well as some great performances on the field, this was also a World Cup that was long enough to fit in some genuinely hilarious moments. Here's a look at some of those that stood out.

The Independence Day Futsal tournament was initially put on the Bangladesh Football Federation's (BFF) calendar this year, but it is all set to become the Independence Day Gold Cup as the Liberation War Affairs Ministry has come forward to hold the tournament on regular basis.

The Australian media raised a toast to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's "bold" leadership as it declared India the worthy world champions who defied history and intense pressure to come out triumphant in the summit showdown against Sri Lanka.

Real Madrid saw their flawless home record come to an end on the weekend and Tottenham Hotspur will hope they can become the latest side to win at the Santiago Bernabeu as they travel to Madrid on Tuesday for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie.

For all the joy that the World Cup triumph has brought in, there is also a tinge of sadness in the Indian cricket team as it marks the end of inspirational coach Gary Kirsten's tenure and batsman Yuvraj Singh says the "father figure" would be missed.

The Bangladesh Women's Sports Association (BWSA) has been served a show-cause notice, asking the organisation to clarify if it had taken permission from the Bangabandhu Trusty Board to use the name of a family member of Bangabandhu for a sports award.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday rubbished some erroneous and mischievous media reports that the ICC had presented India with a duplicate World Cup trophy at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

Hemant Mishr, head of global markets of South Asia and co-head of Wholesale Bank, India for Standard Chartered Bank, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today for a two-day visit, says a statement yesterday.

In recent years, commercial diplomacy has become a new growth point. It helps remove barriers to trade and investment, and find new export markets and foreign investment. Also, the diplomacy is required to resolve policy conflicts arising from the globalisation of the world economy.

The freight train rumbles over the Blue Nile bridge and snakes through the capital. It could take weeks to reach its destination, in Darfur, for despite the potential to link up a divided nation, Sudan's railways are derelict, after years of sanctions and neglect.

Sales management is critical for a commercial organisation. It helps sales professionals achieve business objectives in an effective and efficient way. So, each organisation focuses on building dedicated and result-oriented sales teams.

Ashraf Bin Taj, business director of ACI Consumer Brands, is working in the areas of marketing, advertising and media for the last 16 years. He joined ACI Ltd at the end of 2005 and is responsible for a large and diverse portfolio of well-known brands, such as ACI Aerosol, Savlon, ACI Mosquito Coil, ACI Pure Salt, Colgate, Nivea. He was responsible for culinary product marketing and headed the marketing communication and media functions for all the major brands for five years. In recent talks with The Daily Star, he shares his views on sales management.

Iconic Indian tycoon Ratan Tata was to appear on Monday before a parliamentary panel probing a multi-billion dollar telecoms graft scandal that has badly dented the government's credibility and alarmed investors in Asia's third largest economy.

The yen will weaken in coming months possibly beyond 90 yen per dollar, Japan's former currency czar Eisuke Sakakibara said on Monday, underlining expectations a near four-year rally in the currency may be over.

Senior lawyer Barrister Ajmalul Hossain QC yesterday told the Supreme Court (SC) that the caretaker government (CG) system is illegal and against the spirit of the constitution, as, in function, it is an unelected government running the country.

Indian navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma placed wreath at Shikha Anirvan in Dhaka Cantonment yesterday paying tribute to the members of the armed forces who braced martyrdom in the liberation war of 1971.

Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) has urged the government to take action against those who are creating unrest and anarchy in the society opposing the National Women Development Policy 2011.

A female domestic help and her employer suffered injuries after the help allegedly jumped from the rooftop of a four-storied building while the employer fell trying to stop her yesterday at city's Siddiqbazar of Bongshal.

Deshbandhu CR Das Research Council has announced the name of nine personalities who are awarded "Deshbandhu CR Das Gold Medal" for their outstanding contributions in their respective fields over the last three years.

A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal President Sultan Salauddin Tuku and 10 others for assaulting police and ransacking vehicles during a dawn-to-dusk hartal on November 14, 2010.

Agitated HSC examinees of Shaghata BM Technical College yesterday set fire to the office room of the college as they did not get their admit cards to appear at the examination scheduled to begin today.

Panic gripped the people of Rajnagar, Titua, Nawapara, Roailbari, Amtola, Kailati, Roypur, Balati and Rajnagar villagers in Kendua upazila under Netrakona district as a fishing cat killed three cows and four goats during the last three days.

A prisoner at Pabna district jail died of cardiac arrest on Sunday afternoon. The dead was identified as Mansur Ali Akand, 65, of village Pati in Manirampur upazila in Jessore district. He had landed in jail on April 6, 2010 in a robbery case. Ishwardi police arrested him and sent him to jail. According to jail superintendent, Pabna, Mansur was feeling bad on Sunday noon. The jail authorities sent him to Pabna Medical College Hospital immediately but he died in the afternoon. Officer-in-charge of Pabna Sadar police station Md. Enayet Uddin said the body was sent to Pabna Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy yesterday morning.

Train communications between Mymensingh and Dewanganj route were disrupted for two hours due to derailment of three compartments of a goods train yesterday morning. Railway sources said, three compartments of a goods train bound for Dewanganj in Jamalpur derailed near Nuton Bazar level crossing in the town at around 11:30am. On information, a relief train rushed to the spot and rescued the derailed compartments in two hours. The rail communication resumed at around 1:30pm, sources said.

A mobile court on Sunday sentenced four people to six months imprisonment at Bompur village under Nandipur union of Gomostapur upazila for drinking liquor. The convicted persons were identified as Nazrul Islam, 36, son of Nur Mohammad, Oliul Islam, 34, son of Naimuddin, Rafiqul Islam, 32, son of Hazrat Ali of Laxmipur village and Sudhir Singh, 40, son of Hori Narayan Singh of Bompur village under the upazila. According to SI Abdul Bari of Gomostapur police station, a team of police raided Sudhir's house at Bompur village at around 8:00pm and arrested the four red-handed.

A 'tomtom' (three wheeler) driver was found dead in Pakundia yesterday. The deceased was identified as Abul Kalam, 25, son of Feroz Mia of Talshi village. Police and locals said, Abul Kalam's body was found in a paddy field in Charpara area in the upazila yesterday noon. Family members claimed that Abul Kalam went out of home on Saturday but he did not return. He was killed probably as a sequel to previous enmity, they said.

Police recovered the body of an unidentified young woman, aged about 25, from a ditch at Boddanathpur village in Matlab Uttar upazila Friday. Local people found the body floating in the ditch near a paddy field in the afternoon and informed the police. Later, police recovered the body and sent it to Chandpur General Hospital morgue for autopsy. Police suspected that criminals killed the young woman after gang rape elsewhere and dumped the body in the ditch.

A gang committed robbery at the house of a doctor at Naldanga on Saturday night and took away cash and gold ornaments. Police said, a gang of 10/12 robbers entered the house of Mizanur Rahman Halim, a doctor at Natore Diabetic Hospital and looted Tk 90 thousand and around 9.5 tolas of gold keeping the house members hostage at gunpoint. Obidul Haq, officer-in-charge in Naldanga police station said, a case was filed in this connection. "Police are trying to arrest the culprits," he added.

A young day-labourer came in contact of an electric wire while cutting a branch of a tree and died at village Mukundapur in Kaliganj upazila on Sunday. The victim was identified as Rafiqul Islam, 27, son of Kala Chand of village Ratneswarpur in the same upazila. Quoting local people police said, Rafiqul was, cutting a branch of a tree owned by Mahbubur Rahman of village Mukundapur. At one stage the victim came in contact with a live wire of an electric electrocuted, he fell down the tree. The incident took place at about 3:00pm.

International

The United States has concluded Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh will not likely enact reforms demanded by opposition protesters and must be eased out of office, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing US and Yemeni officials.

The United Nations assistant secretary general for human rights was in Ivory Coast yesterday to evaluate the human rights situation after the alleged massacre of hundreds of civilians, a UN statement said.

The United Nations assistant secretary general for human rights was in Ivory Coast yesterday to evaluate the human rights situation after the alleged massacre of hundreds of civilians, a UN statement said.

Arts & Entertainment

Shakila Zafar has been an audience favourite for her melodious 'adhunik' (contemporary) Bangla songs for almost three decades. In 1979, after winning a classical music competition [by Bangladesh Betar], she stepped into the Bangladeshi music scene, and since then there has been no turning back.

A comprehensive documentary, highlighting Rabindranath Tagore's intermittent stay in Bangladesh, will be released on April 9 at the main auditorium, National Museum in Dhaka, according to a press release. Titled, “Bangladesh-e Rabindranath: Poth Chawatei Anando”, the documentary has been planned and directed by Dr. Chanchal Khan, better known as a Tagore singer and exponent.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts has arranged a series of art exhibitions, titled “Rooted Creativity” that started last year. The 10th and final instalment of the series, “Rooted Creativity-10”, begins today at the gallery, located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. This phase features 10 celebrated artists, including veteran painter Aminul Islam. Some of Islam's rare artworks will be displayed at the exhibition.

A daylong cultural programme was held at the Pabna Town Hall premises on April 1 evening to generate awareness against corruption. Earlier, an essay competition, titled, 'The role of students in fighting corruption' was held marking Anti-graft Week. The Anti-graft Body, Pabna was the organiser of the event.

The Manipuri community in Sylhet celebrated 'Manipuri Bhasha Utshab' [Manipuri Language Festival] last Friday with a call to uphold the language and to conduct much-needed research on its development. People from Moulvibazar, Habiganj and Sylhet districts attended the daylong event, organised for the fourth time.

OP-ED

We have one million illegal rickshaws and more than fifty percent of buses, minibuses and human haulers with fake papers plying on the streets of Dhaka. We also have many private cars running with expired papers. They all manage the concerned in the streets to go on with their business.

The difference between the Indian team that won the World Cup in 1983 and the one in 2011 is an uncomplicated one: the economy. The 1983 victory was a consequence of talent, extraordinary self-belief and some luck. In 2011 the Indian cricket team is by far the richest eleven in the game, sucking the oxygen out of other sports, a template for ambition in homes across the small cities that will become the Delhis and Mumbais of tomorrow, a magnet for middle class and rural India which understands that the distance from obscurity to superstardom is a game that bypasses the educational demands of conventional professional upward mobility, and fetches rewards quite outside the zone of merit and salary.

The United States has come up with a categorical statement telling the Bangladesh government what it should do and to whose satisfaction on the Yunus issue. The US assistant secretary of state has said that if a compromise was not reached on the Yunus issue, US-Bangladesh relationship would get "impacted." "We in the United States have been deeply troubled by the difficulties he is currently facing," he told the media. This is probably the most apocalyptic public statement we have ever heard involving two sovereign "partners in development." The intimidation came at time when Bangladesh was all prepared to celebrate her 40th year of independence.

The reader may question the need for a new and updated strategy for development and the necessity of a suitable electricity system in this country. Although there are numerous discussions and papers on shortage of electricity, load shedding and associated matters, by and large we have failed to involve public representatives, members of parliament, intelligentsia and the major electricity consumers.

Syed Mahbub Murshed was born a hundred years ago on January 11, 1911. He passed away on April 3 1979. He is best remembered as a jurist, and later on as a public figure in the movement for the restoration of democracy in 1969. Yet he was a man of many parts, among which were his outstanding oratorial skills. Apart from his years on the bench (early 1955-to late '67), he never held any public office nor formed any political party.

Science & Life

In a scientific advance literally plucked from the waste heap, scientists have described a key step toward using the billions of pounds of waste chicken feathers produced each year to make one of the more important kinds of plastic. They described the new method at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, being held in Anaheim, California the week of March 28.

It is believed that the Neanderthals, our ancient of ancestors, were somewhat brainless dummies and in accordance with that notion, this extinct member of Homo-genus have been portrayed as brutes. But a new research has shown that our ancient human ancestors were able to control fire even on continuous basis which many experts believe as one of the most important milestones on the path ofcivilization some 400,000 years ago. This new research by the University of Colorado (UoC) and Leiden University, Netherlands (LUN), the details of which have been published in the March 14 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded this finding after inspecting 141 ancient Neanderthal excavation sites (dating from 1.2 million years to 35,000 years B.C) in Europe. Neanderthals, stockier than contemporary humans who still carry a small amount of Neanderthal DNA, once roamed Europe and Central Asia. And also thought to have evolved in Europe around 400,000 to 500,000 years ago and became extinct about 30,000 years ago. It is considered in the archeological community that the emergence of stone tool manufacturing and the control of fire are the two key hallmark events in the technological evolution of the early man. However, even though it is agreed that the origins of stone tools date back to some 2.5 million years ago the emergence of habitual fire control remains a highly debatable issue. But Paolo Villa, curator at the UoC's Museum of Natural History and Prof. Wil Roebroeks of LUN, both authors of the paper were on a mission to shed some light on the issue.

A now critically endangered group of gorillas had split off into its own subspecies about 17,800 years ago, say researchers, who concluded that the evolution of the animal, the Cross River gorilla, was shaped by ancient climate change and, more recently, humans.

Experimenting with a vivacious blonde, only to settle instead on a somber brunette, is an old, clichéd storyline in fact, it's at least 200 years old. A new analysis of a 19th century painting reveals that the artist first depicted a blonde with purple ribbons in her hair, before painting the canvas over with a sedate, unadorned brunette.

Half-life is the period of time it takes for a substance undergoing decay to decrease by half. The name originally was used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms (radioactive decay), but may apply to any quantity which follows a set-rate decay.